Mashup of some Alexander Lowen’s clips talking about energy, feelings and breath.

For you to feel your body, something has to move. Something that doesn’t move cannot feel - it isn’t alive. it’s dead. 

First, you gotta get your body alive, then sense what you feel.

You can talk about feelings all day long, but it’s an idea (in the mind) not a feeling. 

Feeling is a very simple thing - it’s a sensation in the body that comes when you can sense what’s going on. 

You can have good and bad feelings, but if you don’t sense you’re body you’re just a ‘disenchanted spirit’ that’s wandering around, with nowhere to go.

If you put the spirit back into the body, the body becomes more alive, and the spirit becomes more uplifted and fulfilled.

Culture is not a body culture - it’s head oriented, emphasising thinking, power and not feeling. Feeling is the last thing that enters the picture in modern life.

‘Was in therapy for 3 years - we didn’t do much talking, we did body therapy and breath’

Insanity is losing touch with your body and senses

a healthy person is really characterised by a body that’s alive, and vital. Eyes that shine, a voice that’s resonant, a manner that’s soft, a sense of grace, a courage that’s dignified, and not dominated by his ego, with a sense of humility when he talks about things.

Energy through the breath

Feelings are movement

feel an internal movement

in order for it to move there has to be energy - energy creates movement (that’s the nature of energy)

if we make the energy strong enough the movement reaches the surface, and you’re gonna have a feeling.

How do we get the energy?

You have to eat

You have to breathe - you cut of feelings by stopping the energetic process by holding your breath or diminishing your breathing

if your breathing is free and full, your energy is strong, you have strong feelings and you have to deal with them

cutting off your breathing is like slowly putting out a fire, because there’s no oxygen - now that things are cool, and calm, your mind can think.

Duke walks us through how ‘not knowing’ served him in his life.

Some highlights:  

• Do it because it ‘feels right’

• Less focus around what’s the logical path, and more on the emotional - what feels right 

• Sit still and listen vs give into the urge to do something 

• Go from doing to being 

• Replace what’s your purpose with what makes you curious? - Notice the difference in how these make you feel 

• Keep returning to this one burning question - what does the world need most that i am/we are most uniquely qualified to deliver - when you can answer this, you can hit the go button

• The concept of Santosha - means complete contentment in yoga philosophy. Relation to Equanimity: Allows acceptance of all circumstances, including pleasure and pain.

Some quotes (we love quotes) 

• “It’s become a courageous act to love who you are” 

• “My jam is not about driving traffic, doing the best acquisitions, crm. I wake up in the morning to find the soul of the place, establish it and celebrate it” 

• “I don’t really have a point of view about data and the known, and how everything you do is directly gonna drive revenue.” 

• “To know is to be in a prison 

  To not know is to be free” - Christian Murdy 

live your goddamn questions